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Besieged S'fat
The ancient town of Safad at the close of World War I was a harmonious, bustling center of religious learning with over five thousand Jewish inhabitants consisting of Sefardit, Ashkenazik Perushim (disciples of the Vilna Gaon), Russian Chasids who had emigrated in the late 18th century all living together. Indeed, Safad was the home of Rabbi Izhak Lurie Ashkenazi, who founded a great school of Kabbalah. It was here that Rabbi Joseph Karo wrote the Shulchan Aruch, and it was home in 1577 to the first printing press in the Levant. Safad had known trouble both from a devastating earthquake in 1837 and from its Arab neighbors who would perpetrate the Safad Massacre of August 29, 1929, after which there was a Jewish exodus, leaving a predominantly Arab population. With the British evacuation on April 16, 1948, the Jewish population of 1,214 lay surrounded by nearly 14,000 Arabs, who came to control all public buildings, including the post office. Just prior to the British withdrawal, a token Hagana force infiltrated the Jewish section to organize a defense, declaring military rule on April 18. Although the Palmach had established a resupply corridor on April 29, it was not until May 3 that the defenders were reinforced by two Palmach battalions. A successful Arab push on May 6 into the Jewish quarter was definitively repulsed during the final battle on May 10. Although the British Postal Services formally ended in Safad on April 16, the service effectively ended in late February, when the post office was closed in response to increasing violence in the area. The Klinger Bank was instrumental in devising the work around from which are found the “Whisky Covers.” Apparently, British soldiers agreed to courier the mail to neighboring Rosh Pinna at a fee of one bottle of whiskey per mail bag delivered. This became the mainstay for the post from and to the town as documented by an insert in the March 5 Palestine Post, advising “Mail for Jews in Safad will reach its destination if marked ‘Rosh Pina Post Office.’” With the departure of the British Military on April 16, even this option ended. Having declared Martial Law, The Haganah town commander, Elad Peled, known by the code name "Canaani," appointed Yehuda Gross as Haganah Staff Officer of Civil Affairs. On May 2 Yehuda Gross appointed Dov Geiger Commissioner of Postal Services. Geiger went to the only printing press available, the Galilee Printing Press (D’Fus HaGalil), which the Palmach had been using to print their underground newspaper Kol Tzefat. When visiting the press owned by the Friedman family, Geiger found a stash of security envelopes along with many Magen David typecasts. Aharon Ben Saken and Arie Moskovitz, two local school instructors then printed the unique Safad stamp which was then brought to Gross for approval as a preprinted envelope. The first results were rejected as there was a desire both for individual stamps as well as for something more colorful. Another proof was trialed using a yellow golden ink on white paper, but was rejected. It was at that point that Gross recognized the colorful printed blue rhomboid pattern inside the security envelopes produced by the DOAR Company. The stamps were then reprinted on the inside back covers of the envelope. There are two known settings which vary owing to the use of two slightly differing sized envelopes. Between May 2 and 4, a lead mold was created with three stamps arranged horizontally in the printing plate, which was used four times on each envelope (155 x 125 mm) resulting in two rows of 6-stamps in tete-beche arrangement with a double row gutter between. For the second printing, a new plate was made with the three stamps oriented vertically, and the envelope used was slightly smaller (145 x 111 mm). As a result the arrangement was changed to two panes of 6 stamps (2 columns of 3) arranged tete-beche with a smaller plain gutter between. In both settings, the envelope was oriented transversely, and as such the background rhomboid weave pattern is always oriented horizontally with the acute angles of the rhomboid slanting from top left to bottom right. After printing the sheets were taken by way of the “Whiskey Road” to Rosh Pinna for perforating, as no closer machine was available. Interestingly, as the stamps were issued ungummed, the postal clerk would affix the stamp using a home made glue from rendered chickens which has led in many of the stamps to a reaction causing significant fading of the background colors causing affixed stamps to vary in color from the mint pale blue to a frank white. An additional oddity occurred in the second setting. The original proofs of a prestamped envelope were made on the smaller 145 x 111 mm envelopes. When the larger envelopes ran out for the second printing, it was these smaller envelopes that were then utilized, and in a small few, that had been used for the proofs, there is therefore an ‘offset’ on the back of a type 4 stamp that is in reality a type 1 from these proofs. Postal services were implemented on May 4 until May 16, with the total of all printings amounted to 2,200 stamps perforated as 11 ½ but ungummed. The rarity of the stamp has unfortunately prompted many forgeries. Differentiating the stamp types To differentiate between the types (1, 2 & 3 in first setting and 4, 5 & 6 in the second): · The upright leg of the Resh lies to the left of the tip of the star below, it cannot be type 3 or 6, and must be type 1, 2, 4 or 5. Similarly the middle upright leg of the Shin should align with the tip of the star apex below in types 1, 2, 4 and 5, otherwise it is type 3 or 6. · If the Yud in mils aligns with the Yud in Yisrael, it cannot be type 2 or 5 · If all corners are open, then type 2, 3 or 6. If all but upper right, type 4. If all but lower right, type 5. If all but upper right are open, then type 1. o Breaks in the frame lines can be found on the bottom left in type 1 and bottom right in type 3 · Misformed large corner stars? o Lower Left: misformed lower, left tip in type 1 and nonparallel horizontals in type 4 o Upper Left is missing the left, lower tip in type 2 · Malformed smaller bordering stars? o Both type 1 and 4 have an additional upper, right tip on the second from the top star on the left border. o Type 2 had a blunted top in the left border, third from the top. On the right both the third and fourth star are blunted and there is a missing lower, right tip on the right most star of the top line. o Type 3 has blunted tips to both the third and fourth left border stars as well as the bottom tip of the left most star of the bottom row. o Type 5 is the most evident with the left border bottom stamp shifted inwards. o Type 6 has a blunted bottom tip on the bottom border, left most star. Section heading Write the second section of your article here.